Our early morning outing was located very close to the confluence of the Marañon and the Ucayali Rivers. Geographically this area is very important for us, as it represents the opportunity to see from where the mighty Amazon River takes its official name.
Marayali is a creek not too far away from this confluence, and we used the early morning outing to explore part of it. As usual, a good amount of birds were sighted as we rode along the river bank, but one of the highlights was an entrance to a hidden lagoon that we found, with a very different ecology from what we saw just a few hundred meters away. The protection from the river current creates a peaceful environment, with water so still that one can perceive every movement, even from the tiniest leaf…it was great!
Once we returned on board for an invigorating breakfast, the later morning was dedicated to learning about the local people and how they live in their communities. The “rivereños” or people from the river, mostly specialize in fishing and farming, and trading some of the excess products in the bigger cities. We learned a great deal of information by visiting a community known as Amazonas, and by walking along their narrow sideway and observing their village, we could appreciate the beauty of the simplicity of life.
The rivereños are great, happy people that have everything that they need in life. Their smiles reveal everything, and they are all as friendly as can be. Kids were in school, so we took the opportunity to visit them, and with the permission of their teachers, we stepped into the classrooms to meet them and to let them know how happy we were to be visiting their community. The visit evolved into a lot of chatting and interaction with the kids, that an exchange of songs between the kids and our guests sealed a “lazo de amistad” (a bond of friendship) which was precisely the song chosen by the kids. In exchange, it was great to see our guests performing a couple of songs pulled out of their childhood times, and with chants and dance, we departed this lovely land, full of smiles, colors and people worth their weight in gold!
Our afternoon was well spent in a location called “Clavero Lake”, with a creek connected to the end of a large lake full of snowy and great egrets! The photo opportunities were endless, as we encountered not only landscapes, but sloths, hawks and dozens of colorful birds literally posing for the perfect picture!
